CHAPTER LXX
Caelum's Point of View
My name is Astrid… but there's a talking parrot who insists on calling me "Cael."
His name is Flash. A strange little creature my father gifted me when I was just a child. He doesn't look like a regular bird—his eyes seem older, wiser, and somehow full of secrets. And sometimes, when I really look at him, it doesn't feel like he's been with me just since my childhood… it feels like he's known me for centuries.
Flash often sits on my window sill, swaying his head in rhythm, and spins tales of fairies and ancient realms. His favorite story—without a doubt—is that of a fairy named Celeste.
He tells it like he lived it. And the way he speaks about her—brave, radiant, cursed, yet gentle—makes my heart ache for someone I've never met. It's odd, isn't it? Feeling a pull, a magnetic warmth, toward a name. Just a name.
Celeste.
It's strange, but every time Flash says her name, something inside me flutters. A heat rises in my chest. A comfort washes over me—as though that name was carved into the very fabric of my soul long before I was born. As if she was… made for me.
If Celeste is real—if she exists in this vast, chaotic universe—I would want to meet her. I don't care how impossible it sounds. I would want to touch her hand. I would want to hold her close. I would want to kiss her and tell her that I don't know why, but I think I've loved her long before I even understood what love was.
And today… today is my birthday.
What's strange is that it's not just any birthday—it's my twenty-fifth. And Flash keeps repeating, over and over again, how special this one is. According to him, the full moon appearing on my birthday after twenty-five long years is some kind of cosmic sign.
"Ancient fate!" he squawks dramatically. "It's a convergence of love and destiny, Cael!"
But honestly… I don't buy it.
I mean—he's a parrot. An ancient, overly dramatic, irritating parrot with far too many opinions about my love life and far too little respect for my privacy. He doesn't let me talk to boys or girls in peace, constantly embarrasses me in public, and always manages to find his way into my room no matter how tightly I shut the windows.
And just now—right in the middle of my peaceful solitude—he came flapping in like a chaotic breeze, nearly knocking over my birthday cake.
Ugh.
I sigh, brushing the hair from my face, watching the night sky where the moon sits proudly in all her glowing glory. Somewhere, deep in the corner of my heart, I feel the tiniest tug.
What if Flash is right?
What if… tonight changes everything?
Flash suddenly swooped into my room, as he always does—uninvited, dramatic, and far too full of energy. "Cael," he chirped excitedly, flapping his wings, "come on! Chiko and I are taking you out!"
I groaned, not really in the mood. "I don't feel like going anywhere," I muttered, staring out the window, hoping he'd give up and leave me be.
But of course, he didn't.
Right on cue, Chiko—my other tiny companion, a mischievous little creature with the eyes of a guilty puppy—scampered up beside me. Without a word, he wrapped his tiny arms around my leg, burying his head into my ankle, and began fake-crying. And not just any fake crying—loud, whimpering sobs, like a child begging their mother for candy.
I sighed, a smile creeping onto my face despite my stubbornness. "Alright, alright," I said, ruffling Chiko's soft hair. "Let's go."
And just like that, I found myself stepping out into the cool evening, walking between my two chaotic companions.
Despite myself, I felt good.
Today was my birthday—and somehow, beneath all the usual loneliness and noise in my head, I felt a strange joy bubbling within me. It was quiet, gentle… but undeniably there. Almost like something was waiting for me—something more than just a birthday wish or cake.
Flash led us through winding paths until we reached a beautiful, serene pond tucked away in the woods. The air here was still, cool, and filled with the soft hum of night. The pond shimmered under the light of the full moon, and countless stars reflected on its surface like scattered diamonds. It was breathtaking—so peaceful, so magical, that for a moment, I forgot the ache in my heart.
This place felt like a secret kept by the universe itself.
Something about it calmed me, wrapped my soul in a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. It didn't just feel beautiful—it felt… right. Like I belonged here, like a part of me had always known this place.
As I stood silently, soaking in the stillness, Flash ruffled his feathers and said, "Alright, time to head back."
I glanced at him, then back at the glowing pond. "You can go if you want," I whispered. "You and Chiko can head back together. I want to stay here a little longer."
He tilted his head. "Still don't feel like going home?"
I shook my head slowly. "It's just… home doesn't feel like home anymore. Not without family. Not without someone waiting for me."
Flash chuckled, his voice soft and knowing. "Well, maybe tonight, you'll meet someone who'll fill that empty space in your home."
I blinked, taken aback, but a small smile tugged at my lips. "You say the weirdest things," I said, swatting gently at him. "Sometimes you make no sense at all… and yet, somehow, you always end up making me smile."
He gave a cheeky squawk. "It's a gift."
Then, without another word, he turned, motioned for Chiko to follow, and the two disappeared into the night, leaving me alone by the pond—bathed in moonlight, surrounded by stars, and wrapped in a strange feeling I couldn't quite name.
Something was coming.
I could feel it.
Something that might just change everything.
I stood at the edge of the pond, the soft hum of insects around me like a lullaby composed by the night itself. The air smelled of damp earth and distant jasmine, and the stars above twinkled like ancient secrets waiting to be remembered. Their reflection rippled in the still, glass-like surface of the pond, mirroring the sky so perfectly it felt as though I stood at the threshold of two worlds—one above, one below.
And then, something changed.
A gust of wind brushed past me, carrying with it a sudden tension in the air, as though the universe itself was holding its breath.
That's when I saw her.
A blur of white silk moving with the wind, then cutting through the air like a falling star. She dove—no, she fell—from somewhere beyond the edge of the clearing, and her body plunged into the heart of the pond with a quiet splash. The stars scattered from the water's surface as if startled by her arrival, the stillness broken by the soft churn of ripples spreading outward.
I froze.
Everything in me stilled except my heartbeat, which suddenly pounded like a warning—or a calling. I couldn't see her face. I couldn't tell if she was alive. All I knew was that something about this moment wasn't ordinary. It didn't feel real. And yet… it felt like the most real thing I had ever witnessed.
Was she human? Or something else entirely?
Before doubt could fully form, instinct took over.
Without a second thought, I ran. My feet hit the cool grass, then the edge of the pond, and the next thing I knew, I was in the water—cold, deep, consuming. But none of that mattered.
Because I needed to reach her.
My arms moved blindly, cutting through the dark water until my fingers brushed against her. The moment our skin touched, something electric passed between us. A warmth that contradicted the chill of the water. A sense of belonging that had no explanation. I gripped her gently and pulled her toward me.
She was limp, unconscious—but not gone. Her breath escaped in slow, bubbling sighs as I brought her to the surface, her soaked hair clinging to my chest, her body molding against mine like it had always been meant to fit there.
And in that quiet, impossible moment… I felt peace.
As if her presence filled a hollow place inside me I hadn't even known existed.
I brought her ashore with trembling hands, laying her gently on the soft grass. The moonlight poured over her like a blessing, painting her skin with a celestial glow. Her hair fanned across her face, tangled and wet, hiding the mystery of who she was. With a shaking breath, I reached out and brushed the strands away.
And then…
I saw her.
And my world changed forever.
She was breathtaking.
But not in the way people usually mean. No—her beauty wasn't just physical. It was otherworldly. She looked like a secret the universe had kept for me alone. Her lips were parted as if she were whispering something I hadn't heard yet. Her closed eyes held the serenity of someone who knew more than this world could offer. Her drenched dress clung to her body, outlining every curve with delicate reverence, yet it wasn't lust I felt—it was awe. Reverence. A strange kind of ache.
Something ancient stirred within me.
It wasn't just attraction. It wasn't just wonder.
It was recognition.
Like I had found someone I had known across a thousand lifetimes. Someone I had searched for without knowing. Someone whose absence had always haunted me in the quiet hours of night.
My hand hovered near her face, not daring to touch again, not wanting to break the spell. But gods, I wanted to. I wanted to trace the curve of her cheek, memorize the shape of her mouth, whisper her name—if only I knew it.
And even though she hadn't opened her eyes…
Even though I didn't know who or what she was…
In that breathless silence, I knew one thing:
My life would never be the same.
Because whoever this girl was—
She wasn't a stranger.
She was mine.
And I had been waiting for her for far too long.
To be continue....